Dawn chats up the Chileans!

This morning sees us anchor off Waterboat Point in Paradise Bay on
the Antarctic mainland. We’re off to visit a Chilean Base named Gonzales
Videla. Home to a Gentoo Penguin colony - with penguin chicks not nearly as advanced with moulting as the colonies we saw further south.

The base is home to both
the Chilean Navy and Air Force and we’re allowed to see their communal
living quarters and store rooms. They have a small hut which
houses a museum of old photographs and a visitor shop. In the main builfing they offer tea and coffee. Such a friendly team!

At the dock area where we landed with our Polar Cirkel boats there is a massive elephant seal, and we suddenly notice a white
penguin returning from a feeding trip. It’s not an
albino as it doesn’t have pink eyes, the correct term is apparently leucistic,
which means that the colour pigments are produced in a lower amount than
normal. It's very rare and we’re lucky to see it.

This is our last landing before we sail along the peninsula and turn north across The Drake. Fingers crossed it is as calm as we experienced it heading south!